checked-bags

Packing Valuable Items In Your Luggage? Check Your Bags Before You Leave The Airport
If you've got to take something valuable — especially something fragile and valuable — on a plane, it's best to try to carry it on. And as Consumerist reader Cathy learned, if you must check those items, be sure to look at your bags before you leave the baggage claim area, just in case that item has gotten damaged or disappeared. More »

Car Seats Fly Free, So Pack Other Stuff In There To Avoid Bag Fees
It's sort of sneaky, but you can take advantage of the fact that a few items, like strollers, car seats and some medical items, never get a fee for getting checked in order to avoid checked bag fees on your other stuff, writes the Money Crashers blog. More »

Reader Sues Delta Over Bungled Baggage -- And Wins!
Even though we're paying oft-ridiculous fees for checked bags on airplanes, none of that ancillary revenue seems to be going toward improving the actual checking in or tracking of said bags. That's why it's refreshing to hear a story where a screwed-over passenger stands up to this general ineptitude and comes out victorious. More »

US Airways Takes Parts Out Of Xbox To Make Flying Safer
Adam writes, "I was flying out of Logan Airport and I checked my XBOX 360 in my baggage. The agent assured me that there would be no problem with it. When I got home my I found that they had put a little ziploc bag on top of my things, and the bag was filled with tiny metal components that used to be in the XBOX. It's broken now and they're telling me tough luck. Any advice?" More »

American Airlines Raises Baggage Fees For Flights Abroad

—>If you thought you could escape American Airlines' increased domestic baggage fees by only flying abroad, think again: AA is raising checked bag fees for some international flights to Europe and India.  More »

Four Checked Bags On Delta Will Cost You $365 In Fees

—>Most travelers make do with 2 normal-sized pieces of luggage or less, but if you think you might have to travel with more bags, or unusually large or heavy ones, be prepared to shell out a lot of cash for what's called an "excess baggage fee."  More »